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Belgian Chocolate Praline Bar

* ~ * THE BAR * ~ *The bar comes in a white and bronzed coloured wrapper and has a picture of the bar on the front. The name Guylian is printed in a gold coloured font across the front of the bar in big letters so this stands out quite well. Each of the ends of the wrapper is a bronzed colour and is zig zag to make it easier when tearing the foil wrapper to get to the chocolate bar. On the front of the wrapper it states that the product is Belgian Chocolate and is Praline. On the back on the wrapper it gives you a list of ingredients in about 6 different languages and also states the nutritional information as well. It states that the product may contain traces of nut, eggs and/or gluten. The bar itself is made from Belgian Chocolate and has a Praline filling throughout the bar. When you open the bar you will notice that the bar has marbled white shells on top of the 4 sections of each bar which break off easily. The smell of the chocolate is quite strong and smells very sweet and a little sickly. The bar is just under 1cm thick and is about 10.5cm long, so it's a good sized bar.

I chose this bar as I wanted something sweet and chocolatey, and different to Cadbury chocolate, so when I saw this I decided to give it a go. I have had the Guylian sea-shells before which also have the Praline filling and I thought these were very nice so I thought I would enjoy the bar as well.

* ~ * PRICE/AVALIABILITY * ~ *I purchased this from my local One Stop shop, which is the only place I have seen this chocolate bar. I have seen Guylian sea-shells chocolate in many shops before, but never a bar like the one I purchased, so maybe this product is fairly new or just isn't very popular. The bar cost me approximately 56p, which is the average price of a chocolate bar.

* ~ * TASTE TEST * ~ *I bit the first section off the bar and it started to melt slowly against my tongue. My teeth sink into the chocolate easily and fills my mouth with a very sweet chocolately taste. When I bite into the shell my teeth sink straight into the soft praline centre and fills my mouth with a hazelnut taste which tastes lovely with the chocolate. Soon after chewing the chocolate you can taste more of the praline filling than you can the chocolate, how-ever the taste of this is nice, but is also very sweet. After finishing one section of the bar I was starting to feel a little thirsty and there was quite a strong after taste in my mouth, mainly of the praline, but a little of the chocolate as well. The chocolate tastes and feels luxurious against my tongue and when in my mouth. After slowly eating the full bar of chocolate I was very thirsty and my throat felt very dry, so I had to have a glass of water. Even after drinking the water I could still taste a little of the praline flavour still in my mouth, how-ever this wasn't something that really bothered me.

* ~ * OVERALL OPINION * ~ *The bar was enjoyable and was also very sweet. Because this bar is made from Belgian Chocolate and is so sweet, I see it more of an indulgent treat rather than a chocolate snack. I definitely wouldn't consume more than 1 of these in 2 weeks as they are sickly and very sweet and they also contain a lot of fat and a large amount of sugar. I had the bar when the weather was a little warm, so the chocolate was nice and soft. You could pop this in the fridge, how-ever I think it would taste creamier and would be more enjoyable when the bar hasn't been refrigerated. Comparing this bar to other chocolate brands available, I haven't seen anything like this or even similar to this praline bar. It was nice to try something different and get a sweet craving from something new. If you happen to see this bar in your shop and like the taste of praline, then I would recommend you to try it . . . just as an indulgent treat!

(review may also appear on ciao)

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An everyday, luxurious treat

Guylian seashells were always a special treat at home, and for ages they were deemed an 'adult' chocolate, much like anything containing coffee (ick) or liqueur (eww). However, there's nothing specifically wrong with the seashells, apart from the fact that are incredibly tasty, so it must have been merely a ploy on my mother's part to keep any gifts she received for herself. I was about 17 when I finally realised their true potential, but it was another 4 years before they became a regular part of my day to day chocolate eating. During that time Guylian launched a whole range of other products, from truffles to different pralines, but it was these, the seashell taste in a single bar format, that had the biggest impact on me.

I can still remember the day. I had been interviewing for a fair few graduate jobs, and most of the interviews had been in London. It was on one trip that I spotted these bars. I'd gushed about the boxed version before, but didn't know they existed in this format until that fateful day in December when, dressed smartly in a suit, and holding a McFlurry in one hand, I saw them on the shelves of a tiny newsagents and promptly bought 3.

The bars I bought cost me 45p each, which I found quite reasonable for posher-than-average chocolate in a more-expensive-than-average city (and noticeably less than the 99p or more I'd pay for a mini box of the original seashells). They're wrapped nicely in a single plastic outer (none of that inner foil, outer paper band nonsense) and the logo is prominent on the front, making the makers, if not the product itself, instantly recognizable.Inside, the bar has 4 rather flat chunks - noticeably fewer than Galaxy or Dairy Milk, but at least an even number, making sharing easier if you're silly enough to contemplate things like that. I much prefer the idea on the bars' website: "One for me, one for myself, one I deserve ... and this last one is mine too"

Each chunk is a smooth light brown - the colour of quality milk chocolate - and is topped with a marbled seashell appliqué, very similar to the seashells you get when you buy a box. Very pretty they look, too. Inside, the filling is a hazelnut praline, exactly the same as you get when you buy a box. It is posh-tasting - rich and the right level of sweetness, and divinely smelling. Pieces melt in your mouth into smooth liquid form without any nasty grainy bits and, speaking from experience, it is quite easy to scoff a whole bar in a lift as it travels between floors 1 and 5 of a Holborn testing centre.

These bars are not exactly the same as the chocolates - for one thing, the outside is mainly milk chocolate, not the marbled mixture you get with the seashells themselves. This changes not only the appearance, but also the taste, and in my mind makes the bars slightly more approachable - it seems like you get more with 4 pieces than you would with 4 seashells, but that's ok, because you can eat more since the design takes the edge off the sweetness somehow. One thing I especially like is that they utterly fulfil my chocolate cravings - with other bars there are times when I'm not satisfied afterwards, but that's never the case with these. When I think I want chocolate, it often means that I want *this* chocolate, not some inferior alternative, and being able to have it for under 50p, well that just makes my day.

The bars have around 225 calories each, which is quite low and, in my mind, perfectly legal for a snack or pudding. Why, it's less than 2 cereal bars put together, and more than twice as nice. I don't really see these as everyday chocolate bars, despite the format. But, the price and size means they are less of a gift item than the boxed equivalent, meaning you can quite easily buy yourself one when you want to have a treat without indulging too much in terms of money or calories.

The only problem I found is that the bars quickly lose their shape and aesthetic appeal if they get in the slightest bit warm. I had to transport 2 on one of those notoriously over-heated Virgin trains for 2 and a bit hours, and though they didn't melt away into goo, the pieces merged into one, and the bar lost its shape. They still tasted good, but since I was giving those as gifts, nice person that I am, I did feel the need to hand them over with a mumbled "Here's a present for you.....sorry about the state of it".

Available from larger supermarkets and good newsagents.

http://www.guylian.be/en/products/chocolate-bars/sea-shell-bar/

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Great tasting

...Introduction...

As I am sure most of you will be aware Guylian is a Belgian chocolate manufacturer. It was formed by Guy Foubert in 1960. The chocolate company takes its name from the combining of Foubert's first name with that of his wife, Liliane. Belgian Chocolate is probably the most famous type of chocolate and there are many variations of belgian chocolate.

...The Packaging...

This bar is packaged in a nice wrapper which has a picture of the bar on the top of the wrapper. It shows the bar having four segments with the distinctive Guylian sea shell shape shown on the top of each of the four segments of the chocolate bar. It doesnt give the nutritional information about this bar however.

You can buy one of these bars for around 40p from most newsagents and of course supermarkets and anywhere else that sells multiple brands of chocolate bars. The bars size will be 40 grams.

...The Taste...

I first had one of these bars a few years ago and I was very pleased with the taste of the bar. It has a very distinctive taste with a good mix between the creamy Belgian milk chocolate and the Hazelnut Praline inside. Praline is my favourite nutty chocolate filling. Mixed in with the praline is a bit of white chocolate which adds to the flavour. There arent many chocolate bars with both milk and white chocolate in the same bar.

...Nutritional Info...

Strangely there is no information whatsoever in terms of Nutritional information on the packaging for this bar. If you look around you will be able to find it somewhere and here it is. Per 40 gram bar this has 211 calories, 13.2g fat and 20.2g carbohydrates.

Despite there being relatively low calories, the fat content is still quite high which is probably why there are just four segments in this bar otherwise they may get a little criticised for the fat content.

...Other Guylian Products...

There is a liquer that goes with this chocolate bar, I never knew about this liquer until I was found it around the internet when I was looking on booze sites. From what I can gather this drink is basically a praline version of Baileys. It's sounds worthy trying and is available for around £16 for a 700ml bottle and it is 16%abv. I quite like drinks like Baileys so I may give this a try.

There are also a number of chocolate based products in the Guylian range and they include Guylian Twists which are basically like the bar but with different flavours like caramel, strawberry, cappuccino and others. These are in little segments like Roses or Quality Street.

You can also pick up various boxes of chocolates from Guylian and they include variations of Belgian chocolate in milk chocolate, white chocolate and dark chocolate. Some of these are filled with some kind of creamy filling.

...Overall...

This is a very nice bar of one of the nicest milk chocolates Belgian chocolate. A nice praline treat that will leave a great aftertaste and will leave you wanting another bar and another. Go easy on them as they do have a comparitivly high fat content compared to other bars.

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a great treat to cheer you up

Guylian Praline Chocolate Bar

Feeling depressed with having this baby inside for so long my boyfriend tried cheering me up with an array of different chocolate bars and luckily enough this wonderful bar was amongst them. I do love the Guylian chocolate because it is so wonderfully creamy and I had not realised that they made a bar of this chocolate I only knew of the box of chocolates that they do in the shell shapes.

The boyfriend said he paid around 50pence for the bar, which is half the price that you would pay to buy one of the mini boxes of shell chocolates and you probably are getting a lot more for your money if you buy the box instead. However I paid nothing therefore I really didnt care but couldnt wait to rip this wrapper from this bar and the chocolate a good tasting.

The bar to look at is the same sort of size as any chocolate bar it is about an inch in thickness and about 15cm long. The bar itself is not overly heavy and weight 40grmas. I should think most people could fit half a bar in their mouths at once but of course I am a lady therefore I will nibble!!

The out side coloured beige and brown wrapper falls easily once opened from the chocolate bar itself and reveals the wonderful chocolate within. I have not tried this bar before and to be honest have not even seen it for sale many places so they must be hard to come by. Anyway the bar to look at it a mixture of white and brown marbled chocolate and the top of the bar has chocolate seashells raised up from the chocolate. The bar is sectioned up into four parts each with a shell on top although the chocolate has not been cut in anyway and therefore not as easy as you would think to break up the bar into four pieces.

Eating the chocolate bar is a pure delight. You can literally smell the wonderful creaminess evaporating out of the bar before eating and the wonderful chocolate aroma fills the surrounding air. The chocolate on first taste is creamy and sweet. Just how I like it. The outer coating is of wonderful tasting chocolate and once you get through to the centre there is a gorgeous praline filling that would make any mouth water.

Both the chocolate outer coating and the praline centre filling are of the best quality and this is something that really does come across in the flavour. The praline centre is very sweet and mixed with the chocolate makes it even sweeter. I dont think you could really eat more than one of these bars in one sitting. However one bar may look small but is just enough to really satisfy that craving.

Of course eating a whole bar is stuffed with lots of calories and tons of bad fat but for this taste of extreme wonderfulness I really do think as a treat from time to time it really would not hurt. The bar itself is a joy to behold and even more of a joy to stuff down ones throat. I would say everyone would enjoy this if they have a sweet tooth. It really is sweet and it definitely is tasty.

A great chocolate bar recommended to everyone!

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OMG, this is gorgeous!

I'm in heaven, chocolate heaven. Mark came in from work last night with a bar of chocolate for me. 'Hang on' I can hear you all shouting, 'Chocolate for Chris isn't such a big thing considering the amount she gets through every day.' But this is different. This is the wonderful Guylian chocolate (usually seen at Christmas time in boxes) in bar form. Whatever next? For those of you who haven't encountered Guylian chocolates, where have you been??? They're small very rich *Belgian* chocolates that come in the shape of shells and seahorses and they feel really posh as you're eating them despite the fact that they're not too expensive. They've been my favourite 'Christmas Choccie' for years so you can imagine how excited I was to be handed this bar just as my stomach was screaming out for something sweet.

The wrapper of this bar is decidedly Galaxy-like. A quick blimp at the ingredients list shows no nasty E numbers involved in the creation of this chocolate, although (worryingly) no nutritional information is given which is usually a bad sign for my thighs...

Opening the wrapper I'm instantly hit by the smell of praline with undertones of a very rich chocolate, exactly the same as the boxed version of Guylian chocs. Delicious. The bar itself comes in four large but thin segments of milk chocolate with the addition of a white and milk chocolate mix sea shell on the top of each segment. Actually, one of the segments shows a prawn but I don't particularly like being reminded of sea food while I'm eating chocolate!

And the taste... is devine. The chocolate is rich and creamy and melts beautifully in my mouth. The praline centre is delicious, once I'd sucked all the chocolate off the segment of my choice (the prawn one to get rid of it!) the flavour of the praline exploded in my mouth. It's very soft and creamy and soon melts to nothingness once the surrounding chocolate has all gone. How to describe the flavour of praline? Erm... bear with me while I take another segment to get a better idea... *excuses, excuses* Got it. The praline in this bar tastes ever so slightly nutty and is very, very sweet. Don't even entertain the idea of eating a bar of this while drinking a cup of coffee because after scoffing even one segment of this your coffee will taste really bitter, it's that sweet. The chocolate does help with the sweetness though because it's so rich that it isn't overly sweet, prising a small amount of chocolate away from the praline I can taste that it's very good quality and doesn't have the nasty sugary feel to it that a lot of praline chocolate has. Together, the praline and chocolate work beautifully. The chocolate is silky smooth as it melts in my mouth and when all this has melted I'm left with a thin 'slab' of praline which is also super smooth and literally melts as soon as I give it a good hard suck - steady on lads, I'm discussing chocolate in this op! This Guylian bar actually reminds me of Cadburys praline flavoured offering, the Marble bar, although it's not as sweet as the chocolate on the Marble is much thicker and (typically for Cadburys) much sweeter than the chocolate used in this bar.

After eating the bar I can see why there are only four segments. By the time I'd finished the third I was feeling like I didn't want to see chocolate for a while and after the fourth segment I was feeling positively nauseous - and I can gannet chocolate like there's no tomorrow usually! That's the only problem with Guylian. When I've had a box (yes, a full box), the lesser spotted Chris can be seen racing to the loo with her hand over her mouth to spout regurgitated praline into the toilet bowl... This is very sickly! lol

If you want to sample a bar of Guylian Praline for yourself, Mark informs me that he brought my bar from Super Cigs newsagent and paid 40p for the privilege which is a standard price for a bar of chocolate. If you like praline (and who doesn't?) I'll go so far as to say you'll definitely like these but if you're not a fan of *too* sweet chocolate then this will probably be too much for you.

Thanks for reading, I'm off to hunt another bar down!

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Product Details

Guylian's unique combination of fine Belgian chocolate and its famous praline filling are now combined in a 1.41oz chocolate bar. Like all Guylian products, there is more than just taste to the Guylian Belgian chocolate bar experience. The Guylian praline bar is quite beautiful, comprised of four chocolate squares, each decorated with a marbled Guylian seashell.